Who's In control?
by EclipsingParadise
Summary: When the Cheif of Police, Gildarts Clive, finally caught the man behind the string of recent murders in Crocus, he expected to find just that. A man. Not a teenage boy with some serious mental issues. Avoiding jail, Natsu now has to undergo major treatment at Fairy Tail Institute for the Mentally ill and finally face up to a part of himself that revels in blood and destruction.
1. Red on Pink

Drip.

Drip.

Drip.

The sun had long since abandoned the small, winding alleyway, the once soft orange light was gone and in its place the red bricks of surrounding buildings had been stained in the inky blackness that could only belonged to the night.

Drip.

Drip.

Drip.

Between the picturesque buildings of an otherwise quiet and peaceful town, a tragedy had occurred. Not that anyone at this point was actually aware of it. Yet in the fragrant, bustling city of Crocus a murder most foul had occurred in the night. Another murder that followed the last dozen that had occurred over a four month period.

Drip.

Drip.

Drip.

The mangled corpse, of what could only be presumed male, sat atop the tarnished cobblestone, which ran thickly with his blood. The body had torn apart, beaten brutally several places, marred with a myriad of long, deep cuts and burnt. Burnt didn't even to begin to describe the vomit inducing wounds left behind. It was safe to assume that the once dazzling features of the late Hibiki Lates were now unrecognisable, even those who had been closest to him. Amongst the gruesome chaos that reigned in the narrow alley, illuminated by the moon itself, a figure stood with an abnormally peaceful smile gracing their youthful face. Strands of long, straight hair waved in the cool, summer night's breeze, like a song over the raging swell of the sea.

Drip.

Drip.

Drip.

Hunching over the corpse, the small and rather slender male, began to hum a lullaby as though they were unaffected by their surroundings. Caressing the disfigured face of their victim, he continued his sad, melodic tune seemingly unaware of the sudden increase in noise. Artificial beams of light flooded the alleyway as dozens of armed men and woman surrounded the area, intent on finally ending the string of murders that had plagued their once peaceful city. As the sirens continued to wail and the clicks of weapons being cocked filled the narrow alley, the cool, sharp voice of the head of police, Gildarts Clive, cut through the tension, like a heated knife through butter.

"YOU'RE SURROUNDED! DROP ANY WEAPONS AND RAISE YOUR HANDS ABOVE YOUR HEAD!"

As the seconds stretched to minutes it seemed to all involved that beyond pausing briefly at the sound of the sirens, the male either did not care or was too far gone in his own twisted paradise to respond to the commands of the police officers. No movement, from either side was made except for the continued stroking of the deceased face. An eerie tune, emanating from the male, wove its way in between the ranks of police officers, causing a mild sense of enchantment which was quickly overshadowed by horror of what had unfolded in the alleyway.

Despite the curses, threats and weapons being pointed the teen remained oblivious to their demands, steadfast in his duty to comfort the corpse. He was so wrapped up in his own world that he failed to notice the…less than subtle steps of the police as they came in closer.

He was so consumed by sorrow that he didn't notice that one officer had ventured out further that the rest. The bloodied teen did not even flinch as the end of a baton was raised up high above his head in a way that caught the light of the moon. No, the small figure would never notice these things because he was too busy. He was too busy trying to apologise for things that were out of his control, that he would never notice the police officer bringing down his weapon in one swift motion; effectively rendering him unconscious.

'No,' Natsu thought, as world was replaced by the cold inky blackness that threatened to consume him every day. 'They'd never understand…'

A/N; I hope you enjoyed what i have so far (sorry Hibiki!) and if you pick up on any spelling or grammatical errors, feel free to tell me!


	2. Orange and Pink, Brown and White

Gildarts POV

Running my hands through my ginger hair for what had to be the hundredth time tonight, I let out a frustrated sigh. When we had finally caught the person behind the Crocus murders, I hadn't expected to feel remorse, or pity for the soul behind it, yet after laying my eyes on the blood soaked boy, I couldn't help but feel my heart twinge at the though of what was to come.

There was no doubt it was him, eyewitnesses had sworn by all that they hold dear that this was the man responsible for the brutal murder of Hibiki and so many others before him. Yet never in all my years in the force had I felt this sense of doubt.

Something was amiss with this whole case. What could drive a teenager, barely younger than my sweet baby Cana, to murder? There had to be a reason, this was more serious than teen angst. Letting out another frustrated sigh, which undoubtedly grated on the nerves of all present, I gathered my wits for what I knew was a long and arduous task ahead...

...Reports.

The bane of my existence. God, how I hate paperwork.

Natsu's POV

"...-result of extreme trauma..."

"...unable to function in stressful environments..."

"It's possible..."

"...multiple personalities...violent...a danger to-..."

The cold, detached murmurs of the surrounding, dismembered voices were the only comfort in an otherwise barren and bleak expanse of black emptiness that graced my vision. It was eerie and desolate, something that reminded me too much of him. I suppressed a shudder at the though of that 'person'.

'Person? No...he's a demon.'

Ever since Igneel disappeared and Zeref began his decent into madness, he's been there. A complete other person, sharing my body. Using my voice to twist his wicked words. Using my body to his own...pleasure.

Using my hands to end the lives of innocents.

I guess it's unfair to call them mine anymore, after all we've always had to share.

When the lure of consciousness began to pull me towards reality, I breathed out a sigh of relief, hating the place I was stuck in and how it made me feel. That sigh quickly turned into a gasp of desperation as the cold clammy hands of his presence forced me down, further into the abyss that threatens to consume my being. The pressure built as I sunk lower and lower into a place between existence and nothing. I've always feared that god-awful place, it was a soul crushing, mind numbing hell. A hell that makes me wonder...wonder that maybe one day I won't return. That I'll cease to simply be.

As the tug of consciousness became insistant I could only hope that the poor souls about to face him had their wits about them.

I was coming back to the land of the living alright, but not as me.

General POV

The police stationed at the door graciously moved aside allowing Gildarts and the accompanying doctor, Porlyusica, to enter the room containing the accused. As the fluttering material of the brown and white coat disappeared in the room, the tension in the hall grew to insurmountable heights. Police officers and nurses alike waited with bated breaths, hoping that the nightmare that had consumed their streets was finally over. The tell tale sound of a lock clicking into place shattered the spell that had set over the staff who, after a moments hesitation, turned their attention back to the bustling wards.

Locking the door to the sterile white room, Gildarts raised his brows at the figure laying in the bed. There, on the crisp white sheets, lay the body of a slender male, no older than seventeen. His sun kissed skin glistened under the soft hospital lights and his rose pink hair was splayed out in all directions. The long, straight strands framed his face and reached down, easily surpassing his waist and making their rest on his thighs which were covered by the creamy hospital gown.

Eyes bulging and mouth gaping, Gildarts stood, frozen in that comical position of disbelief. He couldn't believe his eyes. There was no way that this was the same kid he dragged out of the ally. The same kid who murdered 43 men, woman and children in the Crocus side streets and alleys.

"He cleans up nicely, huh?"

Porlyusica's voice was dripping with malice despite the seemingly innocent statement. The harsh tone of her voice snapped Gildarts out of his reprieve and served as a reminder of what he was here to do. Narrowing his eyes he felt as though something was amiss, and the nauseous twisting in his gut only served to solidify that fact.

"Still..." Gildarts wondered as he scanned the twitching face of the unknown boy, taking note of the long since healed scars across the left side of his face and neck, "...he doesn't look like a murderer."

"And what does a murderer look like? Huh?!" Porlyusica demanded, her eyes beginning to cloud with rage. "You humans are all the same! Unreliable! Untrustworthy! STUPID!" She ranted, her face set in a deep scowl which was, somehow, more lethal and menacing than usual.

Taking his silence as further provocation Porlyusica continued; "What were you expecting to find Gildarts?! A 30 year old ex-con? All that matters at this point is that it is put in gaol! Away from innocent people! The types of people you are sworn to protect!"

"Porly, I'm just not sure this time, somethings different. I can feel it. "

The mother of all glares was set upon gildarts's own eyes. 'Damn' he thought, all but gripped by the fear and devistation that lied within her eyes. 'I forgot she could do that. Surpressing a shudder, Gildarts opened his mouth once more to defend himself against Porlyusica's seemingly irrational rage. Gildarts could only gape and make halfhearted noises as her accusing finger swung from the figure on the bed to his own chest.

He didn't stand a chance against her poisonous words and he knew it.

"I don't understand! Why?! WHY ARE YOU HESITATING?!" By this point Porlyusica's cheeks were stained red from anger and spittle flew from her mouth due to the power behind her words. "WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU?!"

The tears trailing down Porlyusica's cheeks were what broke his trance, the build up of anger and confusion Gildarts was about to release upon her faded the instant he laid eyes on her.

Grandine.

Shit! How could he be such and idiot?! Watching her raise a trembling hand to her face, Gildarts decided he couldn't stay slient any longer.

"Porly-"

"J-just...hurry up...I'll be in my office. I have a l-lot of reports to file."

With her piece said, she all but sprinted away from the claustrophobic room, memories of her once beautiful sister flashing through her vision.

The soft sound of a lock clicking into place broke Gildarts from his stupor. Lifiting his head to survey the figure on the bed, he was shocked to find a pair of emerald green eyes raising to meet his own.

Clearing his throat, the pink haired male spoke. "Well look-y here~" he practically sang while shifting into a more comfortable position. Well as comfortable as one could get when strapped to a bed. "A new plaything! Finally, the old ones were getting pretty boring." He grinned, a wicked smile that showed off is abnormally sharp canines. "I guess Natsu isn't such a drag, afterall look at what he got me!"

Growing tired of the one-sided conversation, Gildarts interjected with a rough "Who the hell are you?" All thoughts of nicety gone out the window after the brat dared to speak. Mostly angry at himself, Gildarts tried to understand what on the hell made him think that this serial killer was any different from the rest. Maybe Porlyusica was right, maybe it was just bad intergestion not instinct guiding him. Maybe that feeling in his gut was wrong for the first time in his life. Giving the teen a hard look over, there was really nothing in his demeanor that distinguished him from every other criminal before him, 'other than his looks.' , Gildarts thought.

A sharp cough coming from the bed inturrupted his brooding. Turing to look at the perpetrator, Gildarts was stunned by the look in his eyes. They were full of blood, murder and unspeakable horrors, the darkness within them was terrifying and unnatural for someone so young. Breaking the spell of horror over Gildarts the teen introduced himself with a sinister grin.

"My name is Etherious. But don't worry, you wont need to remember it for long."


	3. orange, Pink and Pink!

Gildarts was…disturbed to say the least. Over the past hour he had been mulling over his…less than pleasant conversation with _Etherious_. Everything seemed plain as day really. Here was this messed up kid, admitting to all the recent murders that matched is MO. Noting unusual about that, well at least not in Gildarts's line of work anyway. Yet, there was something _odd_. About his mannerisms, the way he spoke, the way he kept referring to this Natsu person. Gildarts prided himself on being able to read people, truly, if there was any reason he was the head of the department that was why. So why was he so uncomfortable? He'd seen men, woman and even occasionally children, confessing to equal crimes before yet Gildarts had never felt this sense of dread before. As much as he despised thinking about it, it was necessary. He was going to have to study the case files again and, though he shuddered at the thought, reorganise another interview with Etherious. Well, whenever the bastard decided to stop being comatose. Sighing he pulled out his phone and dialled his daughters number, she wasn't going to like it but he had a duty to this town and its people. He only hoped Makarov would be more lenient with visiting hours this time. As his fingers hovered of the green call button a message flashed up. "Huh? What's Porly doing contacting me so late?" Never mind the fact she was still angry with him, or at least he thought so. Swiping his thumb to open it Gildarts stared in shock at the simple two words it conveyed. Grabbing his keys and coat, he raced to the door, leaving his phone open on the desk…

* * *

Porlyusica studied her mostly comatose patient. It seemed after Gildarts's impromptu interview, to which she'd been informed by a passing nurse, the child had decided against consciousness and had stubbornly stayed that way for the passing week. The damned brat hadn't even budged when they transferred him to a more secure ward, or when various political figures stood over him, debating the date of his impending trial. No, the child, and she refused to call him anything but, had remained steadfast in his unconsciousness leaving Porlyusica with too much time on her hands. Time she'd spent continuously analysing her last meeting with Gildarts. She couldn't believe she went off at him like that, it was so unlike her. She had always prided herself on her ability to stay calm and professional yet she went from zero to sixty in a second, like some run of the mill human. God, how she hated the human species, ironic considering her duty to care for them. Where had all this anger come from anyway? Porlyusica was so sure that she'd moved. She had really believed that she was ready to continue with her life but it was like a switch had been flipped. It was so sudden, all this rage she had pent up for years just _manifested_. It was suffocating. Porlyusica wasn't even really angry with the child. She had no more apathy in her heart for him than the standard civilian. Well, maybe the slightest bit more considering her general apathy towards humans In the first place. At the time she…she needed someone to blame, someone to hate, to take all this rage. Porlyusica had spent the rest of the day in her office screaming of the worlds misgivings and wreaking havoc in her office. And it had felt good, yelling and screaming for once, rather than being the calm one.

But it wouldn't bring her sister back. She'd never see Grandine again. And it wasn't his, nor anyone else fault except for some twisted, random man looking for easy prey. The moment she accepted that, Porlyusica knew she would be free from this hate;

"But it's never that easy", she sighed, motoring the patient through a one-way mirror, desperately trying to understand what had made Gildarts hesitate. He was the sharpest man she knew, though she never admit it for fear of inflating his already too large ego. She wanted to know what he'd thought he saw in this boy. Did he see some light left in his eyes? What could stop a hardened veterinarian like Gildarts to stop in his tracks? It was times like these that Porlyusica wished she possessed the ability to see goodness and potential in everybody like Makarov.

Settling down in her chair, Porlyusica knew from experience that when a person goes under this long, they won't be waking up any time soon. So suffice to say the urgent beeping of startled her so badly, Porlyusica fell out of her chair. Sending a single message to Gildarts, Porlyusica ran to her patient.

 _"He's awake."_

* * *

Natsu was confused to say the least. Staring up at the blinding white lights, he tried to recall what had happened. Or more accurately what Etherious had _made_ him do. As flashes of the past obscure him vision, Natsu finds he'd rather _not_ know. Still, unbidden, he remembers the disfigured corpse of Hibiki. _And the Police._

Oh god. He swallowed hard. Where was he? Blinking slowly to let his eyes adjust, he tried to sit up only to find he couldn't move. Upon further inspection Natsu found his arms and legs strapped, quite tightly might he add, to the blue and white hospital bed. Bile starts to rise in his throat and the increased beeping of the complicated medical-looking machines doesn't help his nausea. At this point Natsu is all but throwing his head wildly side to side, the scene, the feeling of being trapped all too similar to back then, when _Zeref-_

 _'Okay'_ he swallowed, trying to not throw up all over his own chest. _'Thinking of Zeref is apparently not calming. Have_ _ **noooo**_ _idea why that would be.'_ He sarcastically remarked to himself. _'This is just great!...wait,'_ he began to smile at his fortune. Natsu was no genius, but he was pretty sure that normal people didn't get strapped down to beds because they were harmless. _'They must know that he- no…I? Or is it we? Argh! Not the point! What I'm trying to say is that they know…_ _ **its**_ _dangerous. '_ Natsu grinned at the thought of finally getting caught. He and Etherious, Natsu refused to think of that thing as him in any way, shape or form, had been sharing a body since…well as long as Natsu could remember. In between the time where Zeref had been caught and Etherious first murder (that he knew of) Natsu had attempted to turn himself over numerous times only to be stopped at every turn. Etherious was always one step ahead. Natsu never stood a chance, with every failed attempt, Etherious would attempt of brake him. He… _punished_ Natsu relentlessly, each time with a new form of torture, each more vicious than the last. But this time, this time it was his fault. Everybody would be safe from him and He was safe from Etherious. Natsu never wanted to spend his life in jail but this was the only opportunity he would ever get to rid the world of Etherious. So it was not without some hesitation that Natsu began to smile when the door swung open.


End file.
